Somewhere Only We Know
by Blowfish the Monkey Tamer
Summary: When Link returns to Kokiri Forest after his seven year absence, he misses his old life, and feels that he can't handle the responsiblity that has given to him. And Sheik gives him a lesson in friendship and learning to trust himself. Songfic to Somewh


**Blowfish: Hey, it's me. (If anyone reading this doesn't know me, then I guess that last statement was null and void, huh?) By the way, I'll just get this out of the way before I go off on my little tangent.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Zelda or "Somewhere Only We Know". That's Shigeru Miyamoto and Keane's department.**

**"talking" 'thinking' _song lyrics_**

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**This fic is rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.**

**Sorry if that seemed a bit blunt, but I have a little speech to make here. After my Zelda Karaoke fanfic was deleted (damn script format rule; I'm going to Media Miner), I did some work on other fanfics in a different subject. (Some of my fellow Zelda authors are also TT fans, so it worked out nicely.) However, while watching VH1 recently, I heard a song.**

**It's hard to say what it is about a song that captivates us. Is it the rhythm? The instruments used? The voice of the singer? Or is it the fact that somehow, that song connects to you or something you know?**

**In my opinion (maybe I'm just rambling), when a song truly interests us, makes us think, strikes a chord, lets us envision what the musician is really trying to convey, it becomes a part of us. Our hearts. Our minds.**

**Our souls.**

**Music is a funny thing. It has the ability to disgust, amaze, entertain, and influence. Some consider some things just noise, rather than real music. But no matter if it's an 80's power ballad, a sonata, or a rap beat, somebody, somewhere loves it and has made it a part of them.**

**Or at least has had the initiative to buy the CD.**

**I'm sorry if this seems weird or out of place in an author's note, but I'm just setting out what I think a "good song" is, because this is my first (and I certainly hope not my last) songfic.**

**Enjoy.  
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Link stepped into Kokiri Forest.

It was an odd feeling, being here. After seven years of absence, he had very mixed emotions, and only one real, definite thought:

'I'm home.'

**_I walked across_**

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**_An empty land_**

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**_I knew the pathway like the back of my hand_**

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Link shuffled along in the grass, feeling slightly apprehensive.

'Will they still hate me? Will they even remember me? Will Saria remember me? Oh Farore, if Saria can't…'

Saria _had _to remember him. She was the only thing that probably hadn't changed.

So many things had. Everything had been turned upside-down, he just needed a place to rest, to let it all sink in, however long it took. He just wanted a place to feel like Link the carefree 10-year-old again, not this big, responsible adult. He wasn't ready.

**_I felt the earth_**

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**_Beneath my feet_**

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**_Sat by the river and it made me complete_**

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He had to get away, to go somewhere where no one could find him, where only Saria could find him, or Malon, or even Darunia. Just no one that wanted anything from him.

The Lost Woods.

That was what he needed. To get lost for awhile. Getting lost in order to find himself, if that made any sense. He would go there, and find a nice quiet place—his and Saria's special place, that was where he would go.

**_Oh simple thing_**

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**_Where have you gone?_**

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**_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_**

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"Link, don't you want to see the other Kokiri?" Navi asked, as Link led them into the never-ending woods.

"No," the green-clad hero answered. "I need to be here, Navi. I doubt they missed me anyway."

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**_So tell me when_**

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**_You're gonna let me in_**

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**_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_**

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Link felt a growing sense of desperation. Everything here had changed here, too. The trees were darker, almost radiating evil and impurity. He walked into a familiar area and breathed a sigh of relief. He sat on a large tree stump, but was only allowed a few moments of peace before being struck in the back of the head by something small and hard. A seed. He turned to see a Skull Kid using its flute as a seed-shooter.

"Kids only!" it yelled. "No adults here! Go away!"

"I'm not—OW!" Link yelled, clutching his side where he had been hit. The seeds weren't dangerous, but they hurt a lot. "You little—AH! Son of a—EIH! Okay, _okay, _I _get _it! Nayru abo—WAH!"

Link kept running for a long time, Navi hot on his heels. Even in his sense of panic, he managed to remember which way to go.

'Right…now left…forward…left again…double right…forward and…'

He had reached the Sacred Forest Meadow.

**_I came across_**

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**_A fallen tree_**

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**_I felt the branches of it looking at me_**

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A log lay rotting near the gate. Maggots, insects, and even mice scurried every which way around and in it. If Link listened closely, he could hear the crunching of the termites eating away at the wood and the squirming of the spiders weaving their webs.

'Odd,' he thought. 'The tree is dead, but the animals just keep on going…the forest is dark, but the Kokiri keep living, going on…'

**_Is this the place_**

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**_We used to love?_**

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**_Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?_**

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Link's thoughts were halted by a grunting sound. He cautiously peeked into the gate and around the corner to seek out the source of the noise.

A Moblin.

Link's heart skipped about ten beats before coming back at about a million miles an hour. He had fought bigger monsters, but this thing was still pretty huge. Also, it didn't look quite as stupid as the bigger ones. And he had never fought one before.

"Link," Navi whispered. "Come on, Link. You can do it. Just concentrate. Get in that zone of yours, like when you fight. It's not as hard as it looks."

Link didn't respond. He was paralyzed other than his knees, which were shaking uncontrollably.

"You want to save Saria, don't you?"

'Saria…'

**_Oh simple thing_**

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**_Where have you gone?_**

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**_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_**

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Link pulled out his hookshot, took careful aim, and fired. The blade hit the Moblin in the back, piercing its spine and paralyzing it. Link ran up, and shoved his sword in its back. It let out a short grunt and fell, never knowing what had hit it. Link repeated this process a few more times (nearly being gutted like a fish _several_ times) before reaching the stairs.

**_So tell me when_**

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**_You're gonna let me in_**

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**_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_**

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There was a Moblin at the top of the steps, even larger than its predecessors. It wielded a colossal spiked club and growled at Link menacingly. It lifted the club and slammed it down so hard it knocked Link off his feet. Link attempted to move forward, but was knocked back by the earthquake every time.

"All right…" he whispered. "No more mister nice hero…"

He charged. The Moblin showed of a toothy grin before slamming his club down again. However, this time Link had learned. When the shock wave went through the ground, Link jumped forward. Infuriated by its adversary's new tactic, the Moblin slammed the club down faster. Link kept pace with the behemoth, and when he was only a few feet away, he took a leap and drew his sword, slashing his opponent in between its neck and its shoulder; it went down like a sack of potatoes. Link made is way into the temple area.

And it the middle of the area was a tree stump.

**_And if you have a minute why don't we go_**

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**_Talk about it somewhere only we know?_**

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Link's triumphant endorphin rush was quickly killed by a wave of sadness and longing. Something wet hit his face. At first, he thought he might be crying, but then realized that it had begun to rain.

Link had never felt so sick in all his life. This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be raining, the forest wasn't supposed to be infested with monsters, Saria wasn't supposed to be in danger, he wasn't supposed to be seventeen, he wasn't supposed to have all of this responsibility piled on his shoulders.

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**_This could be the end of everything_**

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**_So why don't we go_**

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**_Somewhere only we know..._**

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**_Somewhere only we know…_**

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Link's legs gave way beneath him, and he flopped down on the stump. He wanted to die. He wanted there to be no more Ganondorf, no more Sages, no more Triforce, no more _anything. _He wanted it to all just go away. He could feel a stinging in his eyes, and a rage building up inside.

"WHY, HUH?!" he screamed at the sky. He wasn't sure who he was yelling at: the Goddesses, Zelda, Ganondorf, Saria, Mido; heck, he would yell at the Gorons at this point. "WHY?! WHY HYRULE?! WHY THIS FOREST?! WHY SARIA?! WHY THE HYLIANS?! WHY ME?!?!?! JUST…why?" He felt more dampness on his face. This time, he _was _crying.

**_Oh simple thing_**

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**_Where have you gone?_**

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**_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_**

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"Maybe because you're the only one who can."

Link shot up and went for his sword, but by the time he was clutching the hilt, his brain had registered who the voice was coming from.

"Sheik."

Sheik dropped from the canopy onto the ground. "Fancy meeting you here, Hero of Time," he said conversationally.

"I'd hardly call myself a hero," Link scoffed.

"And why not?"

"Would a hero sit around and cry?"

Sheik paused, but then raised his head, meeting Link's bright blue eyes with his own blood red orbs. "Actually, that is one of the many qualities that make you a fit hero."

"Oh really?"

**_So tell me when_**

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**_You're gonna let me in_**

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**_I'm getting old and I need somewhere to begin_**

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"Link…you were chosen as a vessel of the Goddesses, and—"

"Really? Then why didn't they just make me perfect so I could just get the goddamn job over with?!"

"If you were perfect, you would have far less advantages than you have."

Link stared. "…What? What _advantages_? Ganondorf rules the world in case you haven't noticed. What _possible _advantages do I have?"

"Who is it you are here for?"

Link stopped. Was he talking about Saria? "Who…?"

"Link, if you did not have any emotional attachment to the forest girl, would you have fought nearly as hard against those monsters?"

**_And if you have a minute why don't we go_**

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**_Talk about it somewhere only we know?_**

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Link sat and pondered Sheik's question. If he didn't know the person trapped in the temple, would he have fought hard? Would he have been determined? Of course. But he had been beyond determination. His mind had been fixated only on the goal of saving his friend, and nothing else.

"Friendship is a very durable thing," Sheik mused, turning so that Link had a view of his profile. "Time weathers bodies, minds, wills, but friendship only grows stronger. And the places we love may also be weathered, changed by time, but the spirit of those places stays, just like the memories. This holds true particularly for those places we go with loved ones," he said, gesturing to the tree stump Link was sitting on. "And those places are the ones that remain the most deeply rooted in our hearts."

**_So why don't we go..._**

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**_So why don't we go…_**

Link looked at Sheik. He seemed physically close to Link's age, if a bit petit. But in that moment, the warrior seemed like the oldest person he had ever met. His wisdom seemed to know no bounds.

Sheik turned back towards Link. "If you were perfect, it would not be necessary for you to have friends. And believe it or not Link, your friends and allies will be your most valuable assets. And…" he added. "I would be honored to be one of those assets."

Though Link could not see his face, he got the distinct feeling that Sheik was smiling. He returned the gesture. "Thanks, Sheik. I'm glad."

Sheik's posture straightened, and he pulled out a large gold harp. "My first service to you will be to teach you a special melody."

**_This could be the end of everything_**

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**_So why don't we go_**

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**_Somewhere only we know…_**

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Link took out the Ocarina of Time, and followed Sheik through the Minuet of the Forest. The opening bars were very peaceful, and the rest of the song had a pleasantly slow rhythm. Both of the teenagers put away their instruments.

"When you play this song, remember your strong friendships and return here."

Link nodded. "I will."

"I trust I can leave the rest to you?"

**_Somewhere only we know…_**

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"You bet. I'll rescue Saria and find the Forest Sage. I promise." He paused, and then added, "Thanks again. I couldn't have done it without you." He reddened and scratched his head. "I guess even heroes need a little push sometimes."

Sheik nodded. "As do we all, Link. As do we all." And with a crack and a blinding flash, he was gone.

Link took one last glance at the tree stump. 'I'm coming for you, Saria.'

**_Somewhere only we know  
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**Blowfish: Like it? It was my first songfic, so feel free to tell me what you think. I'm new at this, and I could use the criticism. And I'm sorry if the friendship bits seemed a bit corny. Most morals are. Also, I hope my friend (who was waiting for a Zelda fic from me) likes this. I know you want a full-fledged story, but I hope this ties you over for a little while. And if I can't write an epic soon, I'll just put up another one-shot. Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you'd review, I'd really love to know what you think. Seeya!**


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